This invention relates to buoys rapidly deployed to mark a site. More particularly, the buoy of this invention is inflated with chemical foam to resist deterioration and/or destruction.
Buoys are routinely used to mark the location of submerged objects for recovery or repair, channels, underwater obstacles, etc. Often, divers and crew members on patrol and/or recovery craft immediately need buoys to mark these features. But, most buoys tend to be rugged structures built to survive the hostile marine environment, and consequently, their size and bulk prevent many of them from being stored or carried by hand or on a smaller craft.
Currently, inflatable marker buoys are commercially available as a replacement for the bulky rigid buoys. These devices are inflated using a gas cartridge (usually CO.sub.2). They are compact enough to allow a diver to carry one or more of these buoys and inflate them underwater to mark a spot. However, once inflated, the bladder of the gas filled buoys are susceptible to being punctured and as a result may deflate and sink. Also, over a period of time, the gas filled buoys may fully or partially deflate due to leakage.
Thus, in accordance with this inventive concept, a need has been recognized in the state of the art for a lightweight marker buoy inflated with foam that hardens to be resistant to deflation and sinking if punctured.